This paper presents the design and realization of an imaging system intended for use as a reference method for the
accurate measurement of cotton fiber length. The prototype system is composed of an off-the-shelf scanner that
generates a grayscale image of multiple individualized fibers, followed by customized image processing algorithms that
compute the length of each fiber in the image. Although the system requires some degree of separation between the
individual fibers at scan time, it is shown to produce highly accurate length measurements that are invariant to fiber
orientation, shape, inter-fiber intersections, and intra-fiber crimps and crossovers. Hence, in its present state, the
proposed system serves as an excellent reference method for assessing the efficacy of commercially available length
measurement systems.